Four years ago, a group of five Spanish photographers invited us to stay with them in a small town outside Madrid to teach a workshop. They said they would take care of everything and all we had to do was show up and teach. We had no idea what to expect, but we thought, "why not!" Victor and his friend Pedro picked us up from the airport, and despite the language barrier, we could tell immediately that we were in for a lot of fun. Over the next two days, we had one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of our careers and it was really difficult to say goodbye to this incredible group with whom we had had such a great time, but we knew we were leaving having acquired lifelong friends.
Victor made it clear that this was not the last time that we would hang out together as he planned on proposing to his girlfriend Erika and he wanted us to be their wedding photographers. Victor was true to his word in more ways than one as he included us in every step of the process. He even sent us a photo of the ring before he popped the question, and a selfie of them as a newly engaged couple in Greece!

Victor is one of our favorite working wedding photographers today, so I'll admit that the closer his and Erika's wedding got, the more nervous I started to get. However, as soon as we arrived to the small, abandoned town of Liguerre de Cinca, and we were greeted by Erika and Victor's warm, excited energy, we were just happy to be reunited with an old friend. And Erika was just as Victor had described her: kind, sweet, and beautiful, and we loved her immediately.

Erika and Victor put much thought into how they wanted to celebrate their union. They settled on a typical European wedding, opting for a ceremony in a 14th century church, and complete with their favorite traditions like showering the bride and groom with rice as they exit the church, and dancing until the early morning. They planned surprises for each other: Victor gave Erika a ring she had been coveting, and Erika made an uncharacteristic move for her and declared her public love for Victor at the reception! What they did not expect however, was that other people had surprises in store for them too. There was an amazing little restored car to get to and from the church, and, my personal favorite, a hot air balloon ride and in the field across from the wedding venue. They danced until the early morning, in typical Spanish fashion, and we were in bed at 7am!

Erika and Victor were excited, happy; they just enjoyed every minute of their wedding weekend, and this is exactly what makes a wedding a complete joy for us to document. We are so grateful to have been entrusted with documenting it all, and just for being invited along for the ride!